Understanding the situation of sign language(SL)and its history is essential to comprehend the role of sign language interpreter better.It has often implied fundamental questions that refer to the identity construction of the person,his/her attachment to a linguistic community and the place of this community in the current social scheme.Sign language is like any other human languages;it spontaneously develops through deaf communities using this language and without external interference from hearing persons.All living human languages,whether spoken or signed,are characterised by the multiplicity,diversity,and the evolving nature of their vocabulary and this is what determines and proves of the richness of a language.Those who interpret from spoken to sign language are usually referred to as“sign language interpreters”and“deaf interpreters”,but both terms are unsatisfactory because both apply only to the language or community to which they serve.This article will try to shed light on the origins of sign language as well as the emergence of sign language interpreters as key players in an everlasting debate round the deaf and the deaf rights throughout nearly three centuries.
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